Spain – Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona by train

ITINERARY

• DAY 1
  Royal Palace Madrid, Spain

  Welcome to Madrid, Spain

  Upon arrival at Madrid Airport, you will be transferred with assistance to your hotel. For the remainder of the day at leisure or if you arrive early enough, you can enjoy hot chocolate with churros or tapas in Plaza Mayor. Overnight in Madrid.

  What's included?

  • Accommodation
  • Transfer
• DAY 2
  Puerta De Alcalá, Madrid, Spain

  Madrid - Exploring the Treasures of Madrid

  Your art historian guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel for an introductory walking tour to discover the highlights of Madrid.
  On this private tour, you will explore both Hapsburg and Bourbon dynasties' legacies, spanning the 16th to the 19th centuries. In the Madrid of the Habsburgs, you will learn about the development of the area around the Plaza Mayor, the Casa de la Villa square, and the Puerta del Sol, which marked the eastern gate of the city under their reign. The Bourbons expanded the boundary of the city beyond the Puerta del Sol to the Prado Museum and Retiro Park. The court of Versailles inspired the Bourbon dynasty, and you can see the French influence in the buildings they commissioned, including the Royal Palace, with its elegant Plaza del Oriente and Royal Theater, the Bank of Spain building, the beautiful Cibeles and Neptune fountains, and the world-renowned Prado Museum.
  This tour includes "skip the line" tickets and a guided visit to the magnificent Royal Palace.
  Afternoon & evening free to explore other sites of Madrid at your leisure.
  Madrid, Spain's central capital, is a city of elegant boulevards and expansive, manicured parks such as the Buen Retiro. It’s renowned for its rich repositories of European art, including the Prado Museum’s works by Goya, Velázquez, and other Spanish masters. The Habsburg dynasty (Los Austrias) ruled Spain during its Golden Age and established Madrid as the capital of the country. During their reign in the 16th and 17th centuries, the old center of the city was transformed with the construction of many of the city’s historic buildings around the area of the Plaza Mayor. The Bourbon dynasty reigned after the Habsburgs, and they continued the transformation and expansion of the city. They are responsible for commissioning some of Madrid’s most iconic buildings, including the Royal Palace, the Cibeles and Neptune fountains, and the Prado Museum.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 3
  Mediaeval City of Toledo, Spain

  Madrid - Imperial & Medieval Toledo

  Take the high-speed train to Toledo, just 30 min from Madrid. Upon arrival in Toledo, your art historian guide will meet you at the railway station and will take you on a short panoramic tour of the city in a taxi, stopping along the way at the most spectacular viewpoints. This will be followed by a 3.5-hour walking tour of the historic center. During this tour, you will visit the Cathedral, widely considered one of the high points of Gothic art given the great superimposition of styles in the building and a large number of renowned artists who left their mark on the church: from Pedro Berruguete to Enrique Egás, Petrus Petri and Juan Guas. On its main facade, the outstanding feature is the doorway, made up of three doors: Infierno (Hell), Perdón (Forgiveness), and Juicio (Judgement). The exterior is topped by the two cathedral towers, one of them in flamboyant Gothic style and the other in Gothic-Renaissance.
  You will discover the beautiful Jewish quarter where you’ll visit the El Tránsito synagogue which houses one of the best Mudejar coffered ceilings in Toledo, along with walls richly decorated with geometrical and botanical designs as well as Hebrew inscriptions. Nowadays, it is where the Sephardic Museum is located.
  You will also get to visit the San Juan de Los Reyes Monastery, a superb example of flamboyant Gothic style outstanding for its great ornamentation and its cloister, of great sculptural value.
  After the guided tour, you will have some free time to have lunch.
  During your free time in Toledo, you could also stroll the narrow streets of the old town and visit some other interesting sites on your own (i.e. the San Bartolome Church to admire the famous Greco painting "El Entierro del Conde Ordaz", The Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca or the Mezquita de la Luz) before taking a taxi back to the train station.
  You will take the return train to Madrid. Back in Madrid, you can enjoy the evening by further exploring the city at your own leisure or by revisiting your favorite spots.
  Toledo is one of the Spanish cities with the greatest wealth of monuments. Known as the “city of the three cultures”, because Christians, Arabs, and Jews lived together here for centuries. Behind its walls, Toledo preserves an artistic and cultural legacy in the form of churches, palaces, fortresses, mosques, and synagogues. This great diversity of artistic styles makes the old quarter of the capital of Castile - La Mancha a real open-air museum, which has led to it being declared a World Heritage Site. If there is one person's name that defines Toledo it is that of El Greco. His House Museum, a palace with the atmosphere of the period, exhibits some of the best works of the painter who made the city world-famous.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 4
  City Center of Valencia, Spain

  Valencia - City tour

  Check out and private transfer to the train station to board your high-speed train to Valencia. Discover where Valencia's ancient history makes way for its vibrant third-millennium character around the City of Arts and Sciences.
  Turia riverbed gardens, Exposition Bridge, and other modern landmarks. Admire the contemporary architecture of the arts complex, including the futuristic Agora arena designed by Santiago Calatrava, and learn about the city's culture.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Train
• DAY 5
  Traditional food of paella, Valencia, Spain

  Valencia - Tour Shopping Market and Cooking Paella Experience

  Accompanied by your chef, begin with a visit to the bustling Central Market where you go to various stalls selected the elements required to prepare a mouth-watering Paella, including some secret ingredients that will give your dish an authentic Valencia taste.
  You easily lose yourself in the atmosphere, smells, colors, and life of the vibrant market. You buy the ingredient according to the type of paella you want to make: Traditional Valenciana, Seafood.
  After a welcome drink, it's all hands on deck as we head to the kitchen and start the paella cooking class proper. You'll get down to business with your chef guiding you through the steps to prepare the perfect paella.
  This is a wonderful social activity, with everyone having fun in the kitchen and when you finish your rice masterpiece, the proof is in the tasting! Be your own judge as you sit down with the group for a "family" lunch and enjoy the final dish you proudly cooked with your own hands. Overnight Valencia.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 6
  Gaudi Bart Lou House Barcelona, Spain

  Valencia - City tour in Barcelona

  Private transfer to the train station to take the high-speed train to Barcelona. Today we will explore this vibrant city. In the afternoon, Barcelona guided tour “Gaudi’s highlights”
  Barcelona is known as the capital of Modernism and the place where the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, worked and lived. Gaudi, one of the greatest innovators of his time, has left behind numerous treasures in Barcelona for the discerning traveler to discover. Today, we invite you to enter Gaudi's world of fantasy and geometry by visiting some of his masterpieces.
  Your art historian, an expert guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel for an introductory walking tour of 4hrs to discover the most exceptional works of Gaudi.
  This artistic tour of Barcelona starts with a guided visit to the exterior and the interior of the Sagrada Familia church, Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece, and Barcelona's most famous landmark. Next, you will discover Gaudi's unusual Park Güell, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and an exceptional piece that unites nature and architecture like no other.
  In 1900, Gaudí was given the assignment of designing Park Güell. Güell understood better than any of his contemporaries the meaning of Gaudí’s architecture and the relationship between the two men was not simply that of an artist and his patron, but a real story of friendship.
  The tour will end at Passeig de Gràcia where you will get an introduction to the distinct façades of Gaudi's famous houses, Casa Batlló, and Casa Mila “La Pedrera”. You will also admire some other interesting modernist apartment buildings on the same promenade.
  
  You will have the rest of the afternoon & evening free to enjoy at your leisure.
  Barcelona is the cosmopolitan capital of Spain's Catalonia region. Located at the Mediterranean sea on the very north of the Spanish coast, it is certainly the most cosmopolitan and economically active city in the country. Barcelona has always proved its will to be modern, to follow the latest international trends, or be ahead of them, especially in its architecture, which so well reflects the general approach to life in this always pulsating city. Barcelona has an ancient history too, and there are monuments of the Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance periods but what most defines its character is all that has been built over the last 100 years. Barcelona has been a center of Modernist architecture and is especially distinguished by the works of the genius Antoní Gaudí who, together with his great contemporaries, gave new and exciting looks to it, and managed to remain at the peak of modernity since then.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Train
• DAY 7
  Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain

  Barcelona - La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell

  Today, after breakfast, private guided tour of Barcelona's major highlights, with skip-the-line access to Gaudi ́s world-famous masterpieces: La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. On this day tour, you will also discover the ancient Roman part of the city, the impressive Mountain of Montjuïc, and much more!
  

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
• DAY 8
  The mountain Montserrat with the Benedictine Monastery Santa Maria de Montserrat

  Barcelona - Mountains & Sanctuaries, Montserrat

  After breakfast, meet your guide in the hotel starting a fantastic tour. Today we explore the magical mountain of Montserrat, an iconic mountain near Barcelona with an impressive monastery. You ride the cogwheel train to the location of the monastery and enjoy magnificent views. The second part of the tour is all about wine and traditional Catalan food. You will visit one of the most beautiful family-owned winery estates in the area. Lunch is included at the winery restaurant.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Accommodation
  • Tour
  • Train
• DAY 9

  Depart to Barcelona Airport

  After Breakfast, check out and private transfer to the airport back home.

  What's included?

  • Breakfast
  • Transfer